I am the more confirmed in my opinion, that the Holy Ghost fell upon the idolatrous Gentiles at Antioch in Pifidia, as well as on the first fruits of the profelyted Gentiles at Cæfarea, from obferving that he did not fall on the Samaritans ; but was given to them by the laying on of hands. The Samaritans of these times were the defcendants of those of the twelve tribes who remained when the body of the people were carried captive into Affyria; of fome that returned of the heathens from Cuthah; of apoftate Jews, who, with Sanballat, firft built a temple at Mount Gerizim, in oppofition to the temple at Jerufalem; of many of the difcontented Jews, who reforted to them. These all worshiped the God of Ifrael, had the Pentateuch for the rule of their worship, but worshiped at mount Gerizim inftead of Jerufalem. These Samaritan Jews therefore our Saviour preached to f, as well as to the Jews of Jerufalem and of Judæa, though he faid, "he

was not fent but to the loft fheep of the "house of Ifrael ;" and was, as St. Paul fays, "the Minifter of the circumcifion "." And as fome went to different parts in the first dispersion, fome as far as Phenice,

Acts viii. 16.

d Ver. 17.

See Jofeph. Antiq. 1. ix. c. 14. 1. xi. c. 8. f John v.

Rom. xv. 8.

Matt. x. 24.

Cyprus,

Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word "to the Jews only (the direction for teaching not being then understood to extend farther); fo Philip goes and preaches at Samaria *, without any particular commiffion from God for that purpofe. Nor is he at all queftioned about it, as Peter afterwards was, for going unto Cornelius'. But on the apoftles hearing of his fuccefs,, they immediately fend down Peter and John to impart the Holy Ghost to them, without any hesitation or debate. So that it is plain, the Samaritans were confidered as Jews by Christ, by his apoftles, and by the first preachers of the word. And fo our Saviour foretels they fhould; faying, that the apostles "fhould be his witneffes "in Jerufalem, and Judæa, and Samaria" (though when he foretels their going to the Gentiles it is in darker terms), namely, "and to the uttermoft parts of the earth". It seems very probable to me, that fuch of the Samaritans as believed in Chrift, declared their refolution to quit the worship at Mount Gerizim, and to adhere for the future to the worship at Jerufalem. I think those cannot be well fuppofed to do otherwise, confidering it is plain from John iv. 19-27. that the Samaritans expected, that when the Mefliah came, he would determine the great

i Acts xi. 19.
Ibid. xii. 2, 3.

k Ibid. chap. viii.

Ibid. i. 8.

question

queftion between them and the other Jews; and at the fame time knew the full decision that Jefus gave in favour of the other Jews; and if the Samaritans did on their believing make fuch a declaration, there was then no difference between them and the ftrictest Jews; and nothing that could make the leaft hesitation, whether they fhould be readily received into the church. But, however this matter was, it is certain, that for fome of the foregoing reafons, if not for this, or for fome others not fo fully known to us, there was no difficulty made, either in going or fending to the Samaritans, or in receiving them into the church. Now as God in nature does nothing in vain, but proportions every thing in juft number, weight, and meafure; fo does he alfo in the operations of the Spirit in the new creation. It being therefore well understood, that the Samaritans were to be confidered as Jews, there was no particular revelation or commiffion given to preach to them; nor was it neceffary for the Holy Ghost to fall on them, to justify Philip in preaching to them, or the apoftles in receiving them into the chriftian church. And therefore here things go on in their ordinary course, and the Spirit is imparted to them by the laying on of hands. But where a special commiffion is neceffary to direct any of the apoftles to go and preach to men, who were not

admitted

adinitted to converfe (or even live among the Jews, when they could help it "), there the Holy Ghoft feems to have fallen upon thém, to justify the meffenger he had sent on that errand (as Peter to the profelyted, and Paul to the idolatrous Gentiles), to bear witness to the perfons he had fent them to, and to filence all the oppofition and clamour that might be made against these meffengers, or the perfons fent to on that account. And perhaps it is this immediate descent of the Holy Ghost on thefe Gentiles, that St. Paul refers to °, when he fays, that he was the minifter of Jefus "Chrift to the Gentiles, miniftering the gofpel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles (or perhaps the first fruits of the "idolatrous Gentiles) might be acceptable; being fanctified by the Holy Ghost (allud

66

66

ing perhaps to the oil that was to be pour"ed on the firft fruits alluding to Ifaiah

lxvi. 20.)" as Peter fays, "The Holy "Ghoft bore witnefs, that he had purified "Cornelius's and his family's hearts by faith" (who were the firft fruits of the devout Gentiles); alluding perhaps to the fymbol of fire, in which it is most likely it fell upon them; or perhaps to the notion of baptifm in general, which is called purification, or it may be to both. And these first fruits of the de• Rom. xv. 16.

Selden de Jur. L.

P John iii. 25.

yout

vout and idolatrous Gentiles being thus de-, clared clean and holy, the whole lump was declared fo too; as St. Paul argues in a like cafe, Rom. xi. 16. from whence perhaps it is, that St. Paul speaks fometimes in his epiftles to the believing Gentiles among the Romans and the Coloffians, where he had not then been, in a strain as if they had all the Spirit; for the first fruits under the law confecrated the whole harvest; though not in fo high a degree as those first fruits themselves were by which the harvest was confecrated.

- These feem to me to have been the feveral

and the only inftances of the pouring out of the Spirit. But the time of the first and greatest of these effufions deferves our particular attention. It was ten days after Chrift's afcenfion, Acts i. 3. compared with Acts xi.1. Far be it from me to pretend to give any other account of this celeftial tranfaction than that the fcriptures lead me to: and though I cannot pretend, from what has occurred to me on my reading them, to account why ten days precifely are allotted to it; yet I think there are plain hints why this effufion was not made immediately after Chrift was parted from the apoftles. Those hints I will mention with the modesty that becomes fo great an occafion, and fubmit them to the judgement of the diligent and candid readers of the Bible. After Chrift had finished all VOL. I.

Q

the